The Arctic Ocean is a buzzing hive of life come springtime, and the recent research expedition in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, sheds light on the complex interplay of marine ecosystems during this crucial season. As the sun warms the chilly waters, phytoplankton blooms erupt, setting off a chain reaction that underpins the entire marine food web. The challenge? Understanding these blooms in all their intricate detail.
Enter Tore Mo-Bjørkelund and Sanna Majaneva, two researchers from NTNU, equipped with a blend of old-school and cutting-edge technology. Mo-Bjørkelund’s autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are designed to map these blooms by detecting chlorophyll fluorescence, while Majaneva relies on a time-tested Niskin water sampler to gather data from specific depths. The juxtaposition of these technologies highlights a key tension in marine research: the balance between innovation and reliability.
Mo-Bjørkelund acknowledges that while the AUVs represent a leap forward, they come with their own set of challenges. “Those things really work,” he says of the traditional samplers. “The problem with technological development is that the things we make don’t usually work.” This sentiment resonates in the broader maritime sector, where the push for advanced technologies often runs headlong into the reliability of simpler, established methods.
The robots, however, offer a unique advantage. They can navigate the water column to pinpoint the densest concentrations of phytoplankton, something the Niskin sampler simply can’t do. “You might think plankton is distributed homogenously in the water, but we know that in fact the distribution is quite uneven – a kind of fine-scale patchiness,” Majaneva explains. This revelation is crucial for understanding marine ecosystems and the interactions among different organisms within these blooms.
As the AUVs map a 1.5 by 1.5 km area, they collect data that allows them to adapt their movements in real time, making decisions based on the information they gather. This ability to self-optimize isn’t quite artificial intelligence, but it’s a significant step toward more adaptive research methodologies. The robots can even communicate with one another, refining their measurements and avoiding collisions, which is a feat in itself.
After the robots have done their work, it’s Majaneva’s turn to deploy the Niskin sampler to collect water samples from the areas identified as hotspots for chlorophyll concentration. The goal is to understand not just what species of plankton are present, but how they interact with zooplankton and other marine life. This kind of knowledge is vital as we grapple with the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.
Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape of marine research is evolving. Mo-Bjørkelund has transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship, launching a company focused on underwater technology. Meanwhile, Majaneva is diving into genetic methods to identify species present in the water samples, employing environmental DNA techniques. Yet, the pressure for cost-effective research looms large. With funding often tight, the challenge remains to balance the need for innovation with the reliability and simplicity of traditional methods.
The interplay of old and new technologies in marine research is a microcosm of the broader maritime industry. As we stand at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, the lessons learned from this expedition could shape future developments in the sector. The quest for understanding our oceans is more critical than ever, and it’s clear that a hybrid approach—leveraging both reliable methods and advanced technology—might just be the key to unlocking the mysteries of our ever-changing seas.
